Chapter 1267
Cristoya could not help but ask with concern, "What's the matter?"
"There's an important administrative matter that needs to be dealt with. I'll be back soon. I'll leave this to you and Aegnis. Let the children eat happily."
Whether it was the two princesses, Cloto Catax or Eunice, they were all used to the Devers leaving midway. The banquet was still lively.
The Devers went straight to the front yard, where Aristiras was already waiting in the study.
"What's going on?" Although the Devers's tone was calm, he knew in his heart that it was not a small matter for the Head of Intelligence to come here when the people of Turií were celebrating the victory of the Diónia Games.
"Your Majesty, I have just received news from the Afrika region," Aristiras said with a solemn expression, "The fleet of the Egyptian emissaries is on its way to Tuliyi, but it encountered a storm in the sea between Cyrenaica and Hadrumentum, and it may have been destroyed —"
"They may have been destroyed?" The Devers raised his eyebrows, clearly dissatisfied with such an ambiguous statement.
Aristiras hurriedly explained, "The storm happened at dusk, and there were no other ships nearby to witness it. It was not until the next day that a Phoenician merchant ship rescued the Egyptian sailors who had been drifting at sea for most of the day that they learned of the situation and immediately reported to Hadrumentum. Just as the intelligence personnel of the Grumentum sent out this report, the entire Africa- region has sent out a large number of ships to search the entire sea. They have also sent out the Numibian light cavalry to search along the coast. I believe there will be more detailed reports soon. "
"There's always an unexpected storm! No wonder the Egyptian delegation has not been able to reach the port of Turií in time … "The Devers tapped his fingers on the wooden chair and pondered for a moment before sighing helplessly," May Hades protect Jéhao! "
Aristiras stood quietly with his hands behind his back.
The Devers glanced at him and asked with a smile, "Asuna and the children went to the arena to watch the opening ceremony today, right? Did they think it was good? "
"Very exciting!" Aristiras replied without hesitation, "Boris (his youngest son) has been talking excitedly ever since he got home. Asuna has decided to take them to the game tomorrow."
"There will be matches in several arenas tomorrow. Making a choice is a headache." Devers said seriously, "If you can't buy a ticket, you can go to Ribazot. He will prepare one for you."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!" Aristiras said gratefully.
"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. Today is a joyous day for all the Turís. Hurry back and celebrate with your children!"
Devers smiled as he watched Aristiras leave. Then, he sat alone in his study. His deep eyes gazed at the hazy night through the wooden window.
After a long time, he muttered in Mandarin with a thoughtful expression, "Bring the power of heaven and earth together …"
He walked to the door of the study and asked Ribazot to call Cloto Catax over.
When Cloto Catax came to the study, Devers told him about the storm that had befallen the Egyptian emissaries.
Klotokatax was taken aback: "This is bad! If Jie Hao dies in the storm, Egypt will be in chaos! "
"Why do you say that?" Devers asked calmly.
"Father, you're testing me again." Cloto Catax smiled bitterly, but he still said, "The political situation in Egypt is complicated. Pharaoh Tanib is bedridden and can't do anything, so Jie Hao is basically in charge of the country. After Jie Hao took office, he quickly changed Egypt's national policy. He started suppressing and suppressing the religious forces in the country. This has caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the monks. Pharaoh Tanib's relative, Niketani Persia, is dissatisfied with Jie Hao's rule and has ambitions for the throne. There are even rumors of him colluding with the Egyptians …
It's because Jie Hao's rule in Egypt is unstable that he is willing to take the risk and personally lead a delegation to Turís to participate in our sports event to gain our full support … But if Jie Hao dies in the storm, and Pharaoh Tanib is too sick to do anything, and there's no second heir to the throne who can stabilize the situation, both the monks and Niketani Persia might take the opportunity to rebel … "
Devers nodded and asked, "So, how do you think we should deal with this?"
Cloto Catax thought about it seriously for a while, then said, "I think we should first send more people to search for Jie Hao's traces and determine whether he's dead or alive as soon as possible. If he's still alive with the blessing of Hades, then everyone will be happy. We should bring him to Turís as soon as possible and arrange for doctors to treat him and ensure his health.
At the same time, send messengers to Memphis to inform Pharaoh Tanib and the Egyptian officials that Jie Hao is safe and sound, to prevent rumors from spreading and causing unrest in Egypt. After the sports event, send an elite army to escort Jie Hao back to Egypt to show the Egyptian people Diónia's support for Jie Hao and help stabilize the political situation in Egypt.
But if Jie Hao dies … "
Cloto Catax paused for a while, then said with a solemn expression, "Not only do we have to send Jie Hao's body back to Egypt as soon as possible, but we also have to send messengers to discuss with Pharaoh Tanib to appoint a successor as soon as possible and establish contact with the successor to re-establish the friendship and alliance between the two countries. We also have to promise to fully support the successor's rule in Egypt.
At the same time, we have to start mobilizing some armies and fleets. Once there's a rebellion in Egypt and we receive a request for help, we will immediately send troops to Egypt to help quell the rebellion … "
Devers listened carefully and said in a gentle tone, "You've thought it through. This is indeed the most standard way to deal with this crisis."
Cloto Catax was stunned and asked in confusion, "Father, what do you mean?"
Devers stared at him and said in a low voice, "Back then, Diónia was still very weak and faced great pressure from Syracuse and Carthage. Egypt formed an alliance with us and could be said to have given us a lot of help, especially in terms of food.
But times have changed … As the kingdom grew stronger, Egypt became more and more of a burden. In the war five years ago, we did our best to conquer Greece and had to divide part of our forces to help defend against Egypt. In the following years, we also sent many troops to Egypt to defend. "
Devers tapped his fingers on the armrest of the chair, his eyes becoming more and more profound. "As Greece became part of the kingdom's sphere of influence, Egypt has become the frontline of the struggle between the kingdom and Persia. Moreover, the king of Persia seems to be very persistent in conquering Egypt again and again … Egypt's situation is getting more and more unstable. Even if Jie Hao is still alive and has our support, judging from his previous governance style and methods, the conflict between him and the Egyptian monks will only intensify. I'm afraid that Egypt's political situation will continue to be unstable in the future. Moreover, there's still a foreign enemy like Persia … Do we, Diónia, have to send reinforcements again and again to help him maintain his rule in the country? Don't forget, Diónia and Egypt are only brothers. We are not parents who only ask for help without asking for anything in return. "
Hearing this, Cloto Catax's heart skipped a beat. He immediately tried to persuade his father, "Father, didn't the council decide to launch an attack on Persia? We need Egypt's support. Once we defeat Persia, Egypt will naturally stabilize. Even if the conflict between the Pharaoh and the monks intensifies in the future, it will be easy for us to solve. So, I don't think it's a good idea to break the alliance with Egypt. It's not in line with the kingdom's tradition! "
Devers smiled. "If Jie Hao is still alive, the kingdom will naturally support him. But if he had died, and Tanibis was about to die, and according to the intelligence they had received so far, would Dionysia and Egypt still be allies? But if he had died, and Tanibis was not long gone, and according to the intelligence they had received so far, Nikatathnepos was so powerful that he might succeed in usurping the throne. Niketani Persia will only be our enemy if he is supported by Persia! "
"Father, as long as we send reinforcements in time, we can stop Niketani Persia's rebellion." Cloto Catax reminded, "Even if Niketani Persia is one step ahead of us and succeeds in usurping the throne, we have the ability to completely defeat them and support Tanibu's other descendants as pharaohs."
Devers did not comment. Instead, he said faintly, "A bird in the hand is better than ten birds in the bush … Allies are allies, after all. There are many things to do, and it's more convenient to use it ourselves!"
Cloto Catax's eyes suddenly widened. After a moment, he asked in surprise, "Father, are you planning to … conquer Egypt?"
Devers looked at him and said in a low voice, "Owning Egypt is of great strategic importance to the kingdom's future development! You must have a deep understanding of the kingdom's food production and supply in the past few years. Although there have been no droughts in the past few years, and the harvest is still relatively sufficient, the population of Turia and its neighboring regions is growing rapidly. The local people cannot produce enough food for themselves. We have to import large amounts of food from Sicily, Rome, Africana, and other regions, and the amount is increasing year by year. However, the food production in these regions is almost constant. If this continues, there will be a day when the consumption will exceed the supply …
The Po River region is filled with water and dense forests. It will take a long time to fully develop it. Egypt, on the other hand, has been the granary of the Mediterranean since ancient times. Owning it is equivalent to having a long-term food supply!
Furthermore, once we defeat Persia, we will occupy some territories along the Asian coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. With Egypt providing security, the kingdom's rule over there will be more stable. "
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